THE WORD: The Yellowjackets are primed and ready for another
deep playoff run in 2014, and they return a loaded squad. Replacing studs Jacolby Whittaker and Zac Sturns won’t be easy,
and the Jackets will lean on the rushing attack with RB’s Willie
Skinner, Jyran Shaw, and Mario Carillo leading the way. Keenan
Johnson will attempt to fill the large shoes of Zac Sturns at QB,
and he will have quite a corps of WR’s led by JaVie’Ontae Mumphrey, L’Darius Pope, and Tyarius Hackett to throw it to. Both
lines will be loaded with seniors, led by OL’s Harwell, Collins,
and Jesus Hernandez. Look for Mumphrey to once again wreak
havoc from his DE position in 2014.

THE WORD: After a better than expected 2013 campaign, the
sky’s the limit for this talented Indian squad. With the QB position unsettled at the moment look for Baker’s crew to grind it
out on offense with RB’s Tiburcio Garcia, Michael Savala and
SB Bryce McGowan. The o-line will have seniors all over the
place, led by beefy Ryan Curbo ( 6’ 1” 235 lbs.) Angel Garza( 6’
225 lbs.), Trent Roberts and Joel Garza. The Indians WR’s will
be led by Ben Goss, Dalton Sanders, and Collin Gray as well as
McGowan out of the backfield. Senior DL Jason Pendleton will
anchor a veteran d-line along with Curbo, Garza, and Garcia.

THE WORD: The Bobcats will once again turn to talented QB
Nate Betts to steer their ship in 2014. WR Dequalan Bivins
and WR Jeremy Gould will be the primary targets in the passing
attack for the Bobcats as they look to replace leading receiver
Brett Anderson. RB Dontarius Bryant will spearhead the ground
game for Cross Roads in 2014, with freshman RB Bubba Faulk
expected to make an impact as well. They will operate behind a
burly o-line led by Hunter Green ( 6’ 4, 245lbs.) and Garrett Berry
( 6’, 235lbs.). QB Zach Duncan will return from injury in 2013
to push Betts for the starting job. The Bobcats could sneak up
and bite district head honchos Alto and Cayuga, though Anderson’s crew must stay healthy as their ranks are thin, especially
on defense, in order to compete.

THE WORD: Bradford and his Bobcats will look to rebound from
a lackluster 3-7 campaign in 2013, and Jr. QB Aaron Arden will
be asked to shoulder the load offensively. The Bobcats ground
game will be spearheaded by La Trey Chaney and ATH Skylar
Himes. When Arden drops back to pass he will target rangy WR
Trey Hazelip along with Justin Vaughan and Cody Baker, and
look for a big season from this crew. The o-line is young but
talented, led by burly Luke Carnes ( 6’ 1, 235 lbs.) and Justin
Disotell. DE Waylon Culpepper will looked upon for senior leadership on the d-line. Cracking the playoffs out of this district will
be an arduous task for the Bobcats in 2014.

THE WORD: Last season was one of turmoil in Sandie-Land, as they had to break in new coach Shawn Brown
and experienced growing pains with a young squad in
2013. They are once again done no favors by the UIL, being placed in this uber-competitive district. Coach Brown
will have his hands full in 2014, and he will turn to Issac
Lewis to guide the Sandie offense, but expect ATH Jaques
Faulk to receive many touches as well. Whoever slides
under center will have a bevy of targets to throw to led by
WR’s Bowman and McQuirter along with TE Johnson. ATH
Jermorris Davis will be looked upon for explosion plays for
the Sandies. Senior RB Riley Chipman will operate behind
a young o-line led by junior OL P.J. Lewis and So. Jose
Castillo. Johnson will lead a young but hungry defense
from his DE position, and he will need to step up early if
Grapeland intends to compete in this district.

THE WORD: The Tigers will look to repeat their success of
2013 this season, and Coach Hardee’s cupboard will be
well-stocked with seniors once again. The Tigers workhorse,
RB Tully Pickens, returns for his senior season after shredding defenses in 2013 ( 116 car. 1,247 yds. 13 TD, 10. 7 ypc.).
Coach Hardee has a rare luxury in the fact that he has not
just one but TWO returning all-district QB’s in Sr.’s Jordan
Cannon ( 41 car. 289 yds. rushing, 222 yds. passing in
2013) and Cade Harris (181 yds. rushing, 23/38/487 yds.
passing in 2013). Trey Williams will once again join running
mate Pickens in the Tiger backfield to make an ever potent
one-two punch for Hardee’s crew. They will operate behind
a veteran offensive line led by senior OL’s Tyler Trant and
Kenny Searcy. The drop in classification should greatly help
a loaded Tiger squad, and another deep playoff run should
be in the offing for Centerville. If things break right this could
be a team that contends for a state title in 2014.

THE WORD: After tasting the playoffs in 2013, new head
coach Andy Sexton looks forward to taking the Owls to
another level in 2014. Senior do it all man Artreal Osteguin
will battle junior Payton Igo for snaps, with versatile Dylan
Bohnert also getting a look. Senior RB Bryan Pursley will attempt to fill the shoes of the graduated Dakota Yargo, with
junior RB Payton Sorsby spelling him on some downs while
lining up alongside him in some formations to form a one-two punch in the Owl ground game, something the Owls offense often lacked in 2013. The new boss won’t be short on
receivers either, as junior WR’s Aaron Zenn and Tyler Weaver
join sophomore TE Lukas Diorio as vital targets for either
Igo, Osteguin, or Bohnert to throw it to. The Owls will be led
up front by senior OL/DL Tyler Wetuski and junior OL/DL Ray
Smith. Pursley and Sorsby will roam sideline to sideline from
their LB positions while Zenn and Weaver control the Owl
secondary. The drop in classification should help the Owls
notch a win or two more in 2014.

THE WORD: The Indians once again narrowly missed out on
the playoff dance in 2013, and new head coach Craus has
numerous holes to fill on both sides of the ball. Brandon
Kemper, who has seemingly been under center forever for
the Indians, returns for his Senior campaign. The offensive
line is in a state of flux for Craus’ group as they enter 2014,
seeing as the new coach must replace four out of five starters from 2013’s squad. The one position that isn’t lacking
for the Indians is at RB, with as many as five different candidates vying for carries, led by seniors Jamie Jacobs and
DeKedrick Odom. Look for ATH Kelvin James to line up all
over the place for the Indians, alongside junior RB/LB Jonathan Eleby. Depth shouldn’t be a problem for the Indians,
but still expect several key starters never to leave the field
for Groveton in 2014.

THE WORD: The Bobcats took their lumps, going 1-6 in a brutalnon-district schedule in 2013 before sweeping through district
11 for another title. They faced Alto in a rematch from the 2012area round and once again fell short in a close game. TheBobcats new head coach must replace the majority of his start-ing backfield in 2014, but the Bobcats will have All-State QBHuckabay (185 car. 1,734 yds. rushing) as a stabilizing forceon offense. Senior speedster RB’s Martin Doucet ( 10. 9 100yd.dash) and Shedric DeBlanc ( 11.0 100yd. dash) will add plentyof speed to the usual ground and pound Bobcat fare, and willbe looked to for explosion plays in the ground game, and seniorRB Chris “The Bus” Herman will be used in short yardage andred zone situations. Massive TE/DL Hopkins ( 6’ 4”, 275) will bea force in both the ground game as well as the passing attackfor the Bobcats, providing Huckabay a superb red zone targetas he will be a matchup nightmare. The Bobcats O-line will beanchored by Sr. OL’s Kendal Fregia and Trevor Budro along withJr.’s Seth Dryden and Ryan Fregia. Dryden will roam sidelineto sideline along with Tyreke Anderson from their LB positions,while Huckabay and Luke Willis patrol the Bobcat secondary.

THE WORD: Coach Therwanger anticipates a bounce back
season in 2014 after taking their lumps with a young squad
in 2013.The Lions return six all-district players from last
year’s squad, led by senior RB’s Taylor Golden and Sean
Bridges. Expect the Lions to be run heavy until sophomore
QB Holsey gets his legs underneath him, and versatile Mora
could see some snaps under center. All-district OL Alex
Rodriguez returns to provide leadership across both lines,
along with fellow OL/DL Max Cousins. DE Taylor Connell will
be looked upon to wreak havoc on opposing QB’s, all while
freeing up LB’s Billy Varieur and Emmanuel Williams to do
further damage. While the step up to 2A D1 will be challenging, but Therwanger’s Lions appear up to the task, and will
have a say in who wins district 12 in 2014.

THE WORD: The Oilers limped to the finish in 2013, finishing 0-3
after starting off 3-3. The QB position is in a state of flux for the
Oilers as they enter 2014, so expect them to lean heavily on
their running game and offensive line early on in the season
until a viable candidate is found. The rushing attack will be
paced by Sr. RB Corey Brown, while big Chance Peppas will
serve as FB in Stewart’s run heavy scheme, with Caleb Nance
also getting some touches out of the backfield. Both lines will
be senior laden, led by on both sides by Aaron Sneed, Cullen
Brown, and Austin Neenan. Jr. TE/ WR Daniel Madden will prove
to be a reliable target for the Oilers in their passing game, and
he will also pull double duty from his DE position. As it usually is
in West Hardin, depth is a concern, and it will rear its ugly head
once again in 2014 for the Oilers, but if Stewart’s group can
stay healthy they could make things interesting for the powers
that will be in district 12.

THE WORD: The Bulldogs were just a point away from advancing
to the state semi-finals a year ago and Coach Brevard’s squad
is poised once again to be a threat in Region IV. The Bulldogs
offense should be plenty potent once again with versatile District MVP Austin back in the fold. Austin can play WR, RB, DB,
return kicks and he’s also a pretty decent kicker as well! Brooks
is back to lead the Thorndale ground game and he’s also a
very stout speed rusher off the edge when he plays defense.
Thorndale’s got depth at receiver as well with several key players back from a year ago. If there’s a big area of concern for the
Bulldogs it’s a lack of depth and experience along the offensive
and defensive line. If Thorndale’s young guys in the trenches
can develop, the Bulldogs will be a state title contender.

THE WORD: Despite returning just 13 letterman and only four offensive starters hopes are high the Cougars can continue their
run of success in 2014. A big reason for that is in essence, the
Cougars dropped a classification into the new 2A Division I, so
now Rosebud-Lott won’t be the little guy on the block. They’ll
enter 2014 under a new head coach however, as Craig Jackson
resigned his post in March. R-L alum Brad Ballard was hired in
late April to lead the program, he had a successful three year
stint at Coleman in West Texas. Keep an eye on WR Roberson
who at 6’ 3 170 is a matchup nightmare for defensive backs,
he could begin earning FBS interest. Parker is a smallish but
quick back who will lead the Cougars ground attack along with
talented junior Johnson. Willber played mostly defense as a
sophomore but will take the reins of the Rosebud-Lott offense.
The defense returns six starters anchored by top returning
tackler Mallory who had a strong sophomore season. When
not playing RB, look for Johnson to be an anchor along the
Cougars defensive line.